Ren woke just as dawn broke the next morning and immediately began preparing breakfast.
The night before, they had pushed themselves as far as their legs would carry them before finally stopping to make camp.
"This is strange," he muttered to himself. "I feel like every time Sir Weiss teaches me about survival, I immediately find myself in a situation where I’m actually fighting for it."
He was thinking back to his flight with Licia. More recently, when the roof of the Old Wing had collapsed, Weiss had taught him how to camp using monster materials. While he didn't have enough furs to completely insulate a tent, covering the gaps with what he had provided a surprising amount of warmth. The lesson had certainly been worth the effort.
Of course, he was only joking. He didn't have the slightest intention of actually complaining to Weiss.
"Good morning, Mr. Adventurer."
"Ah, good morning."
Fiona emerged from the tent, her voice still thick with sleep. Ren turned to face her as he returned the greeting.
"Breakfast is almost rea—"
"I'm sorry... I've let you beat me to it again today—"
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
Ren didn't understand why Fiona had suddenly stopped talking, but the reason for his own silence was simple.
(...A cowlick.)
It was a slip in her composure that he never would have imagined from someone as refined as her. Right at the crown of Fiona’s head, a single, adorable lock of hair stood straight up. It was, without a doubt, a stubborn bit of bedhead.
Should he point it out? No, that would only embarrass her.
Ren forced a polite smile, deciding to play it cool. "It’s a simple meal, but please, help yourself."
"N-Not at all! It looks like quite a feast to me!"
Fiona regained her composure and approached the campfire to start on the breakfast Ren had prepared. The menu consisted of tea, some lightly seasoned grilled meat, and a modest soup made by rehydrating dried goods from the Clausel stores. Since these were emergency rations, they were packed with nutrition.
Settling down by the fire, Fiona held the cup of soup in both hands. As she blew on it to cool it down, the stray lock of hair on her head wobbled.
(Ah, there it goes again.)
Every time Fiona took a sip, the lock of hair swayed. Feeling it would be rude to keep staring, Ren quickly looked away. In his place, Fiona began stealing glances at Ren’s head.
She seemed strangely restless this morning. While Ren tilted his head in confusion, Fiona repeatedly peeked at him, only to avert her eyes the moment he looked back. She sat with her back slightly hunched, making herself look small while she quietly finished her soup.
"I'll go ahead and start preparing for our departure. We aren't in a desperate rush, so please take your time, Lady Ignat."
As Ren stood up, Fiona reached out as if to say something. She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering in the air, before lowering it shyly.
"Thank you. I’ll finish up, then."
With her voice at his back, Ren returned to the tent to pack their meager belongings. He was in the middle of tucking the iron tableware into his bag when he paused.
"I see."
He nodded solemnly. He reached up and touched his own hair, feeling the slightly grimy texture of someone who hadn't had a proper bath in days. But that wasn't what caught his attention. He felt a single, stubborn lock of hair springing up from his head—a cowlick of his own.
It was standing just as proud as Fiona’s had been.
"I guess we'll call it a draw."
It wasn't a competition, but a strange sense of pride made him smooth the hair down. Just then, he heard Fiona’s startled voice from outside the tent.
"W-Was it me too...?"
She had clearly seen her own reflection in something and finally realized.
By the time Ren finished his preparations and stepped back outside, both his and Fiona’s hair had been perfectly smoothed back into place.
As they began their trek, Ren watched the snow and the encroaching lava flows, his mind racing.
(Seriously, what is going on here?)
It was a thought that had occurred to him countless times since leaving the fort. He had spent his night watches wondering where the cracks in the plan had started, and who had orchestrated this chaos.
(That vortex of flames on the bridge was definitely targeting Lady Ignat. If that's the case, then every anomaly during this Final Exam must have been designed to get to her.)
If so, the plot had been set in motion long before the examinees even arrived. Someone had planned this before the magic ships even departed. They had waited for the Academy Principal, Chronoa Highland, to be absent—meaning the masterminds possessed the influence and intellect to strike at a prestigious imperial institution.
The problem was that Ren had no knowledge of this specific incident. If a disaster of this scale had happened in the game, it should have been common knowledge.
(Wait... the premise is different.)
Ren realized he had been making a fundamental mistake. It made sense that he didn't know about this. In the original game story, Fiona died. There was no event to save her. He needed to look at this from a different angle.
For instance...
(There are people who would benefit from the death of Fiona Ignat.)
He thought back to those who desired the Demon King’s Resurrection. If they killed Fiona, Marquis Ignat would lose all faith in the Empire. Since the Imperial Academy and the government were so closely linked, her death here would be politically devastating.
(What I don't get is how they could terraform the Baldur Mountains like this.)
The current environment was far more extreme than anything in the game. In a few days, the Silver Peaks would be entirely consumed by lava. If the masterminds had this kind of power in the game, they would have used it then to ensure the protagonist could never reach their destination.
(I've thought about this before, but it changes everything if they simply couldn't do this back then.)
If they couldn't create this situation in the game, it meant that either the masterminds lacked the power at the time, or their preparations weren't complete. But given that Marquis Ignat was involved, neither of those explanations felt quite right.
(Which means there’s a specific difference between this version of the Baldur Mountains and the game's version.)
The variable was Fiona. Thinking back to the vortex of flames, he was sure of it.
"Lady Ignat, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"Yes, what is it?"
Fiona, though clearly exhausted, looked at him with focused eyes.
"You were treating the people who collapsed at the fort, weren't you? What kind of Skill was that exactly?"
"Oh... um..."
Fiona hesitated, and Ren realized his mistake.
"I'm sorry. I know it's not proper to ask someone to reveal their Skills."
"No, it's just... my father told me I must never tell anyone. But..."
She looked pained, clearly torn between her father’s orders and her desire to be honest with Ren.
"Besides the magic I've shown you, I have the ability to interfere with the mana of others."
She kept the explanation vague, but even then, it was a Skill Ren had never heard of.
"So that's how you were treating the pseudo-Vessel Cracking in the adventurers."
"Exactly. I wish I could use it to suppress my own Vessel Cracking, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on my own body."
"I see... That’s interesting."
Ren nodded, his suspicions beginning to solidify. It was all playing out exactly as he’d feared.
(She really does have a special power.)
However...
(I don't think the mastermind simply knew about her Skill.)
If the masterminds had poisoned the adventurers to lure Fiona into staying at the fort, they could have kept her in the mountains longer. That was a possibility, but something still felt off.
(There was no guarantee the examinees would go to the fort in the first place. If that's the case, hurting the adventurers guarding the merchant doesn't make sense.)
It would have been a waste of resources if the examinees never crossed paths with them. Yet, given the state of the adventurers, the mastermind clearly thought their condition was a necessary part of the plan.
(More importantly, if the goal was just to kill Fiona Ignat, they could have done it long before she reached the fort.)
The fact that they didn't meant one of two things: 1. They had a specific reason to kill her only after she reached the fort. 2. They tried to kill her earlier but failed for some reason.
Otherwise, the whole plan was contradictory. It was obvious someone was pulling the strings, but their true objective remained a mystery.
Then, a sudden, chilling thought struck him.
(――)
No way.
He looked up at the sky with a bitter smile, amazed at how his mind was finally putting the pieces together.
(The one who was lured to come here... was me as well.)
It was like a bolt of lightning. The small points of friction finally connected into a terrifying picture.
(Which means... that’s what this is.)
Ren stopped walking and looked Fiona directly in the eyes.
"There is something I need to tell you."
Fiona saw the sudden, sharp intensity in his gaze and found herself holding her breath.